I got tagged on by Nelly Nero the other day to write some facts about myself. I thought it might be fun, despite me being quite boring. I wrote a list on Flickr, and thought it might be good to post them on here as well, along with a new(ish) self portrait. Anyway, here goes…

1: I have been into Photography literally for my whole life. We used to have a dark room in our loft at home, and I used to help my Dad with printing when I was a kid. I really didn’t utilise it as much as I should have. That’s one of my biggest regrets, but being up there with my Dad is one of my happiest memories.

2: I have a degree in Illustration which I did at Herefordshire College of Art. Best three years of my life – and I constantly miss those days. So much fun. I love Illustration and Graphic Design, and they are both a massive inspiration to me. I still do my own illustration work, and I would love to do some more commissions in the future. Some of my favourite, most inspiring Illustrators include Tim Marrs, Kate Miller and Laura Quick.

3: I am a pretty obsessive music fan as well. I like a whole range of stuff from acts like Tool through to Jurassic 5, but there’s certain bands who I have a maniacal devotion for. My top three would be Manic Street Preachers, The Tragically Hip and Wintersleep. I have gone out of my way to see all three live, which has included travelling into Europe and the US.

4: Other than Photography, Illustration and Music my life and imagination is occupied by climbing. I totally love it, especially bouldering. I love travelling to experience different climbing spots around the world. Last year I went on a two month road trip around America to climb at some classic spots like Yosemite, Bishop, Hueco Tanks and Joe’s Valley. It was incredible, and I really want to go back! I’ve also been to Fontainebleau in France many times – arguably the greatest bouldering spot in the world! I also really hope to get out to Thailand and Rocklands in South Africa in the future. I also run a climbing website/blog with my mate: www.b2climbing.com – We make amateur climbing films of our exploits on the rocks. It’s great fun!

5: I live in South London with my Girlfriend. Her name is Snooky (yes, that is her real name) and she’s great. When I was at Uni I always vowed that I’d never live and/or work in London, until I got a job here. Now I can’t imagine living anywhere else. I love it here. I am also quite fickle.

6: Incase you haven’t already worked out. I have an incredibly obsessive personality. When something sparks my interest I get totally engrossed in it. Some things last, others don’t, but I feel I have to try and learn as much as possible about the chosen subject. I also think this is why I would never do drugs or smoke. I definitely think it’s a good way to be though. Everyone should have something which they feel totally passionate about.

7: My only “phobia” to speak of, is when potatoes get those horrible sprouts in them! I absolutely hate that!

…That’s pretty much me. I can’t really think of anything else which is even remotely interesting. If you made it this far, well done! Thanks for reading.

I recently stumbled across a great Photostream on Flickr. Not only where there a lot of very interesting shots on there, but I was really drawn to the post processing of the shots, and the colours and tones of the images. I’ve seen a lot of photographers over recent months that have been achieving really nice, almost vintage, style effects to their photographs, and I’ve been intrigued as to the post processing work which has gone into them. It turns out, that on NellyNero’s profile, she has very kindly uploaded a series of Photoshop actions which are free to download, to add these sorts of colours and effects to your shots. I duly downloaded them, and I have been experimenting quite feverishly to see what I can get from them. It’s been a bit hit and miss, but the success rate has been high enough for me to pursue it. I’ve posted a comparison of the first shot I tried the ‘Whipped Cream’ action out on, and I think it’s really strong. Obviously, it’s all a matter of taste, but I think the light and colours in the that particular photo lend themselves well to the results produced from the action. One of the things I really like about the action set, is that all the adjustments on non destructive, adjustment layers which can be tweaked and turned on or off to get the image looking just how you want it. You can see another comparison and break down of the layers below to get an idea how it works if you’re not familiar with batch actions and/or Photoshop’s adjustment layers…

I think the key to using these actions is to know when and where to use them. I’m still trying to find a really good one for skin tones, but I think it’s just a case of further experimentation. I’ll keep you posted.

Another up shot from this discovery, and the acquisition of my new(ish) flash and diffuser (more on that soon) is it’s really give me a kick start to start taking more photos again after a couple of month lull. It’s nice to be getting creative with the camera again and I’m gonna make sure to take it into the new year! If you do end up downloading and using NN’s free actions off the back of this post, please share some of your work in the Flickr Pool, as it’s always interesting to see what results people get!

I hope that everyone has had a nice Christmas, and you’ve got some exciting plans for the new year! All the best…